“Boss, Nan Que is here.”
X. Xue Shan’s mic lit up green, and an immature-sounding voice came through, “Yin He, are you an idiot? Why are you picking up a Level 1 Pack instead of a Level 2 Pack?”
Nan Que: (′.｀)
Great, it’s a Gen Z boss. I’m saved.
Yin He said leisurely, “Didn’t see it.”
Xue Shan: “So annoying! Hurry up and get in the car, the zone is shrinking!”
Yin He: “Your marking skills suck.”
Xue Shan: “Bullshit! It’s mainly because I have you useless lot dragging me down!”
Qi Ji’s mic flickered.
Qi Ji: “Bro, enemies incoming, bro…”
Di Ting: “Yin He, Yin He? Call him over, the enemies are coming. Get your act together, this is too embarrassing…”
Yin He: “No worries, he’ll be dead soon. His driving skills are terrible.”
Then there was a faint “what the fuck” followed by an explosion.
Xue Shan: “Ahhh! Damn it (referring to a plant), why is this crappy car’s steering so hard to control!”
Nan Que was dumbfounded. Amazing, so this is what the management of Douzi’s top Voice Hall is like?
Xue Shan: “Ahem, Nan Que’s here?”
Nan Que obediently replied: “Boss, I’m here, I’m here.”
Xue Shan: “I heard you caused quite a scene today?”
Nan Que immediately apologized: “Boss, I’m sorry, I’ve never seen that kind of situation before. I was temporarily blinded by the Hua Zi…”
Xue Shan snorted: “You admit your mistakes pretty fast? Do you know what the relationship between Si Ji and Yue Yin Lou is? You’re young but quite ambitious, coming after Traffic right under my nose!”
Xue Shan: “I’ve seen plenty of people climbing up by stepping on my reputation, but you’re the first I’ve seen stepping on the company.”
Xue Shan: “The two companies are rivals. You couldn’t have not known that before your assessment, right? Huh? Nobody’s stupid. On your first day going freelance you run into rivals – anyone sensible would just have a friendly exchange and end it there. But you went and played poker with them! Fine, you played, but when they started making moves, you just went along and escalated it?”
Xue Shan: “What, are you a spy or something?”
Nan Que was so scolded he couldn’t lift his head. He was a complete newbie in the Voice Hall and genuinely didn’t know about these things! He rarely even watched streams normally – in his half month in the hall he’d just been focused on learning songs. When would he have time to figure out all these grudges and entanglements!
Nan Que: I’m so wronged!
Nan Que whispered: “Sorry boss, I really didn’t know…”
Xue Shan: “Enough! I can see you’re quite the talent for causing drama. Even X. Xiao wasn’t this good at attracting Traffic when he first joined. You’re not even officially hired yet and you’re already stirring up storms. Believe me, tomorrow people will be digging up the history between the two companies and coming to scold me for stepping on rivals to gain traffic!”
Xue Shan: “I’m constantly taking the heat for you reckless brats who don’t know your limits!”Nan Que was truly wronged, squatting on his stool in his room picking at his fingers, his puppy eyes drooping.”
He never meant for this to happen. In his mind, streaming was all about service – guests were guests. They’d already gifted, so what was wrong with chatting with them, answering questions and having heart-to-hearts?
Nan Que had no idea he’d simply been trying to do good but ended up causing harm.
Xue Shan wasn’t wrong either. The two guilds had always kept their distance from each other. With enough internal drama of their own, connecting with rival streamers and engaging in comparison battles might generate emotional votes, but it could easily escalate into conflicts across all streaming halls, leading to inevitable collapse sooner or later.
Therefore, the two guilds generally avoided contact. When they encountered each other in random matches, even top streamers would usually just exchange nods and leave after a friendly game.
There were very few as bold as Nan Que, let alone someone who’d directly make space for a big spender and the streamer to clash head-on.
Fortunately, L. Lan’s fans were quite laid-back, otherwise Nan Que’s stream would have been flooded with hate today.
Yin He: “What’s all the noise about, Xue Shan? Explain properly. He’s just a kid new to streaming, how would he know these things?”
Yin He: “Isn’t it good though? Getting through this wave of turbulence right from the start – once he passes it, he’ll level up. Another X. Xiao in the making, how great would that be.”
Xue Shan: “Oh, playing the good guy now? Why don’t you teach him then?”
Yin He: “Really want me to teach him? I could, but you’ll have to give me an extra percentage point in salary.”
Xue Shan: “You damn…”
Di Ting: “Hahaha, bro, stop scaring him. What if the kid gets so frightened he actually digs into his own pocket to return the Hua Zi gifts? You’ll be crying then.”
Nan Que looked at Xue Shan, then at Di Ting. Seeing the change in tone, he tentatively asked, “Boss, should I return the gifts?”
He checked his bank account balance – how miserable. After half a month of streaming, he’d already lost several hundred in fines, and now he might have to return his earnings too…
Is being a streamer always this difficult?
He’d never criticize Zhang Zhe for being bad at games again
Xue Shan: “? Weren’t you pretty sharp during your stream? Why do you seem kinda dumb now!”
Xue Shan: “What’s done is done, the Hua Zi gifts are already received. Don’t even think about returning them!”
Yin He: “Yeah, don’t panic. He’s just bored and wants to complain at someone. The money’s already in his pocket, rest assured.”
Di Ting: “So what should we do? Issue an announcement?”
Xue Shan thought for a moment, then decided to hear this silly kid’s thoughts first. “Nan Que, right? This was your show – what’s your take?”
Nan Que pondered before sharing his idea: “Boss, is there any rule against friendly interactions between us and Yue Yin Lou?”
Xue Shan seemed to catch his drift: “What are you thinking?”
Nan Que: “I’ve added the other side’s Lan Laoshi on Pao Pao. I’ve already talked Beat Fresh Orange into it tonight, and Lan Laoshi also said they don’t plan to pursue this matter further, so let’s consider it settled.”
Nan Que: “But after today’s PK with Lan Laoshi, we haven’t done the punishment yet.”
The sound of Xue Shan clicking his lighter echoed through the voice chat.
Xue Shan: “What kind of match did you have today?”
Nan Que: “A talent show match.”
Xue Shan: “How many followers does that Lan have?”
Nan Que: “About twenty to thirty thousand, not that many.”
Xue Shan: “Sing a couple lines for me. Now.”
Nan Que: (O_o)
Yin He: “It’s fine, don’t be nervous, just sing a couple lines.”
Nan Que sang half of the song “Empress” that he performed earlier that night.
After finishing, he curled up timidly, not daring to speak with his mic on.
Xue Shan contemplated for a long time. “Alright, wait for the Hall Admin’s notification. I need to communicate with them first.”
Xue Shan: “Yin He, keep an eye on him and provide some guidance. The Training Camp assessment is next week, right? Hurry up, we only have three months until the annual competition. Every additional capable streamer counts. Fu Zong keeps pressuring me for streaming revenue every day, it’s really driving me crazy.”
Yin He: “Got it. Apprentice, come on, let’s add each other as friends first.”
Nan Que: “Okay! Master Yin He!”
Di Ting: “Not bad, this kid knows how to seize opportunities. Shouldn’t we organize a ceremony for accepting a disciple?”
Yin He: “Well, let’s keep it low-key for now. We’ll follow the formal procedure after Nan Que enters the Hall.”
Nan Que giggled (#^.^#)
Yin He: “From now on, practice one new song every day. Send it to me after you’ve mastered it, understood?”
Nan Que: “…Okay, Master.”
Nan Que stopped giggling.
After being scolded, Nan Que looked crestfallen as he ate supper with Zhang Zhe.
“That expression… got yelled at?”
“Yeah.”
“I heard the boss is really harsh when scolding people. Is that true?”
“Yeah.”
“So what’s the outcome? They’re not going to fire you, are they?”
“No.”
“That’s alright then,” Zhang Zhe was long accustomed to how the kid would become tight-lipped whenever he was distracted, and didn’t mind. “No pay deduction?”
“No deduction.”
The more Nan Que thought about it, the more unlucky he felt. How come Zhang Zhe could earn money peacefully while he kept running into trouble?
Good brothers should share misfortune.
He was Master Yin He’s disciple, but he hadn’t heard about Master Di Ting having any disciples.
“Zhe, what do you think of Master Di Ting?”
“He’s definitely awesome! Probably the top rapper in the Hall, right?”
“Want to become his disciple? I can introduce you.”
“Huh???”
Nan Que opened the WeChat he just added with Yin He.
Nan Que: Master (puppy with starry eyes), my friend is pretty good at rap. Could you ask Master Di Ting to give him some guidance?
Yin He: Send it over
Nan Que: Screen recording.avi
Nan Que: Thank you, Master (bows)
Yin He: Hmm, it’s past midnight now. Remember to submit today’s assignment.
Nan Que: (Ｔ▽Ｔ)
Chapter 12: The BOSS’s Direct Scolding
“Boss, Nan Que is here.”
Just then, X. Xue Shan’s Mic lit up green, and a voice that sounded very immature came through, “Yin He, are you a dumbass? Why would you pick up a Level 1 Pack when there’s a Level 2 Pack right there?”
Nan Que: (′.｀)
Great, he’s a post-00s boss. I’m saved.
Yin He replied unhurriedly, “I didn’t see it.”
Xue Shan: “So annoying. Hurry, hurry, get in the car, the circle is closing!”
Yin He: “Your marker placement sucks.”
Xue Shan: “Bullshit! It’s mainly because I have a bunch of useless teammates like you dragging me down!”
Qi Ji’s Mic flickered.
Qi Ji: “Bro, we’ve got company, bro…”
Di Ting: “Yin He, Yin He? Get his attention. People are coming. You guys, knock it off, this is so embarrassing…”
Yin He: “It’s fine, he’s about to die anyway. His driving skills are terrible.”
Then, a faint “what the fuck” and the sound of an explosion could be heard.
Xue Shan: “Ahhh! Grass (a type of plant), why is the steering on this stupid car so hard to control!”
Nan Que was dumbfounded. So this is what it’s like? This is the leadership of Douzi’s number one Voice Hall?
Xue Shan: “Ahem, Nan Que is here?”
Nan Que answered obediently, “Boss, I’m here, I’m here.”
Xue Shan: “I heard you caused quite a scene today?”
Nan Que quickly groveled, “I’m sorry, Boss. I’ve never seen a situation like that before. For a moment, I was blinded by the Hua Zi…”
Xue Shan snorted coldly. “You’re quick to admit your mistakes, aren’t you? Do you have any idea what the relationship between Si Ji and Yue Yin Lou is? You’re not old, but you’ve got quite the nerve, trying to farm traffic at my expense the moment you arrive!”
Xue Shan: “I’ve seen plenty who’ve tried to climb up by stepping on my name, but you’re the first I’ve seen to step on the company.”
Xue Shan: “The two companies are rivals. You couldn’t have been unaware of that before your assessment, right? Huh? No one’s a fool. On your first day, you run into a rival while ‘hunting in the wild.’ A sensible person would have ended it after a friendly exchange, but you went and started a poker game! And if you were going to play, fine, but when the other side started creating drama, you just went along with their script?”
Xue Shan: “What are you, a spy?”
Nan Que was so thoroughly scolded he couldn’t lift his head. He was a complete newbie to Voice Halls and truly didn’t know any of this stuff! He rarely even watched live broadcasts. For the half a month he’d been in the Hall, he had just been burying his head in learning songs. How would he have had the time to figure out all these intricate grudges and relationships?
Nan Que: I’ve been so wronged! o(╥﹏╥)o
In a tiny voice, Nan Que said, “I’m sorry, Boss, I really didn’t know…”
Xue Shan: “Give me a break! I can tell you’re a natural at following a script. Even X. Xiao wasn’t as good at attracting traffic as you when he first joined. You haven’t even passed your probation, and you’re already stirring up a storm. Believe it or not, by tomorrow, people will be digging up the history between our two guilds and flaming me, the boss, for leeching off our rival!”
Xue Shan: “I’m always taking the heat for you little brats who don’t know how to hold back!”
Nan Que felt truly aggrieved. He squatted miserably on a stool in his room, picking at his fingers, his puppy-dog eyes drooping.
He hadn’t wanted things to turn out this way. In his mind, being a streamer was all about providing a service. Every visitor was a guest. Since the person had already spent the money, what was wrong with chatting with them, clearing up their confusion, and having a heart-to-heart?
How could Nan Que have known that his good intentions had purely backfired?
Xue Shan wasn’t wrong. The two guilds had always kept to themselves. Their own Hall already had enough drama to deal with. If they got entangled with their rival, creating a situation where they were compared and pitted against each other, they might get some emotional votes, but it could easily lead to all-out war between the Halls. A collapse would be just a matter of time.
Therefore, the two guilds generally had little contact. When they encountered each other while “hunting in the wild,” even the top streamers would usually just have a friendly match, nod, and go their separate ways.
There were very few as wild as Nan Que, let alone one who would directly make way for a big sister to battle it out with a streamer.
It was also a good thing that L. Lan’s fans were relatively chill. Otherwise, Nan Que’s live broadcast room would have definitely been torn to shreds today.
Yin He: “What are you yelling about, Xue Shan? Talk to him properly. He’s just a kid. How would he know all this when he just started streaming?”
Yin He: “Isn’t this a good thing? He’s weathering a storm right from the start. Once he gets through it, he’ll rise up. Another X. Xiao. How great is that?”
Xue Shan: “Oh, you’re the good guy. Why don’t you teach him then?”
Yin He: “You really want me to teach him? I can, but you’ll have to give me an extra percentage point on my salary.”
Xue Shan: “You motherf…”
Di Ting: “Hahaha, bro, stop scaring him. The kid might actually get so scared that he’ll pay out of his own pocket to gift the Hua Zi back. You’ll be the one crying then.”
Nan Que looked at Xue Shan, then at Di Ting. Seeing the shift in tone, he asked tentatively, “Boss, do I need to gift it back?”
He checked his bank card. It was a truly miserable sight. He had already paid several hundred in fines after working for half a month, and now he had to return what he had earned…
Is being a streamer this hard?
He would never call Zhang Zhe a bad player again o(╥﹏╥)o
Xue Shan: “? Weren’t you pretty smart during your broadcast? Why do you seem a bit dumb right now!”
Xue Shan: “What’s done is done, and the Hua Zi has been received. Don’t even think about giving it back!”
Yin He: “Yeah, don’t panic. He’s just bored and wanted to chew someone out for a bit. The money’s already in his pocket, so you can relax.”
Di Ting: “So what’s the plan? Should we post an announcement?”
Xue Shan thought for a moment and decided to first hear what this dumb kid had to say. “Nan Que, right? You created this show. What are your thoughts?”
Nan Que pondered for a moment before sharing his idea. “Boss, do we have a rule that forbids friendly exchanges with Yue Yin Lou?”
Xue Shan seemed to catch his drift. “Go on.”
Nan Que: “I’ve added the other side’s Lan Laoshi on Pao Pao. I’ve already talked Beat Fresh Orange around tonight, and Lan Laoshi just said that their side doesn’t plan to pursue the matter. So this should be over.”
Nan Que: “However, after my PK with Lan Laoshi today, we still haven’t done the punishment.”
The sound of Xue Shan’s lighter clicking could be heard.
Xue Shan: “What kind of battle did you two have today?”
Nan Que: “A Talent Battle.”
Xue Shan: “How many fans does that Lan have?”
Nan Que: “Twenty or thirty thousand, I think. Not that many.”
Xue Shan: “Sing a few lines. Now.”
Nan Que: (O_o)
Yin He: “It’s okay, don’t be nervous. Just sing a few lines.”
Nan Que sang half of the song by the Heavenly Queen that he had sung that evening.
After he finished, he cowered like a scared kitten, not daring to turn on his Mic to speak.
Xue Shan was lost in thought for a long time. “Alright, wait for the Hall Admin’s notice. I need to communicate with some people first.”
Xue Shan: “Yin He, you keep an eye on him and guide him. The Training Camp assessment is next week, right? Get a move on. There are still three months until the Annual Grand Event. The more people we have, the better. Fu Zong is on my case every day for revenue, revenue. I’m seriously going to lose my mind.”
Yin He: “Mm. Apprentice, come on, add me as a friend first.”
Nan Que: “Okay! Master Yin He!”
Di Ting: “Not bad, this kid really knows how to seize an opportunity. Shouldn’t there be a ceremony for taking an apprentice?”
Yin He: “Mm, let’s keep it low-key for now. We’ll have a formal ceremony after Nan Que officially joins the Hall.”
Nan Que: Hehe (#^.^#)
Yin He: “From now on, practice one new song every day. Send it to me when you’re done. Got it?”
Nan Que: “…Okay, Master.”
Nan Que was not hehe-ing anymore.
After the scolding, Nan Que, with his tail between his legs, had a late-night snack with Zhang Zhe.
“What’s with that face? Did you get chewed out?”
“Yeah.”
“I heard the boss is super harsh when he scolds people. Is it true?”
“Yeah.”
“So what happens now? How are they handling it? They’re not going to fire you, are they?”
“They won’t.”
“That’s not so bad, then,” Zhang Zhe said, long accustomed to how his friend would become a man of few words whenever he was distracted. He didn’t mind. “No fine?”
“No fine.”
The more Nan Que thought about it, the more he felt he was just unlucky. How could Zhang Zhe earn money so peacefully while he kept running into trouble?
Good bros should face misfortune together.
He was Master Yin He’s apprentice, and it seemed Master Di Ting didn’t have any apprentices.
“Zhe, what do you think of Master Di Ting?”
“He’s definitely amazing! He’s pretty much the number one rapper in the Hall!”
“Want to become his apprentice? I can introduce you.”
“Huh???”
Nan Que opened the WeChat of Yin He, whom he had just added.
Nan Que: Master (puppy with starry eyes), my friend is pretty good at rapping. Could I trouble Master Di Ting to help guide him a little?
Yin He: Send it over.
Nan Que: Screen Recording.avi
Nan Que: Thank you, Master (bows).
Yin He: Mm, it’s past midnight. Remember to hand in today’s homework.
Nan Que: (Ｔ▽Ｔ)